Cut
by Nan Ma
Summary: Sun Ce held Da Qiao's lifeless body and glared at Zhou Yu. "Why? Why did you do this? I loved her!"  But, but what?


The trees were painted gray and black, and every leaf in the barren forest was a single crumbling sheet. The wintry sunlight filtering in from the foreboding clouds bought no comfort or warmth, but rather highlighted everything in sharp, harsh contrasts.

A blood-curdling roar ripped from Sun Ce's throat. He rushed forward, crushing gravel under his leather boots, and fell to his knees, throwing his arms around the Da Qiao's bloodstained corpse. His face bunched in grief, Sun Ce gripped her in his arms as if trying to pull her back into the world of the living.

For a few moments, he stared down into her deep black eyes, once soft and full of life but now staring off into a place everyone would see one day. Not a tear rolled down his dirt-smeared, gritty face. After catching his breath, he threw his head back and glared at the figure standing on the stones yards away.

From his vantage point atop the ceremonial platform, Zhou Yu looked down at Sun Ce and the still form of Da Qiao impassively, his eyes cold and unfeeling.

"I should have known you sell out even your own!" Sun Ce bellowed. "Your own sister-in-law! Do you know this girl's face?" Gently, he turned the corpse's lifeless face to Zhou Yu.

"She was a disgrace. She would have betrayed my clan, _our_ clan," Zhou Yu said quietly, so softly that he could barely be heard, even in the still silence about them.

"I loved her!" Sun Ce's shriek rang through the air so clearly and cleanly it might have been a knife.

"I know."

"She loved me!"

"I know." Zhou Yu did not smile. "I would say I am sorry, but… My plan must continue. Are you ready-"

"This woman, this woman was the world! She was my only reason for fighting! What good is anything without her? Can't you understand that? I have nothing to continue on anymore!" Sun Ce spat on the ground. "_Nothing!_"

There was a silence that swirled around both men.

"That is not a problem. Farewell, old partner," Zhou Yu said quietly. His pale hands delicately lifted up a beautiful, richly embroidered bandolier of throwing knives. "The two of us could have conquered the world, you know."

"I trusted you!" Sun Ce shouted, standing up still holding Da Qiao's body. The head lolled over to rest on his shoulder. "I trusted you!"

"I know."

"It ends now!"

The wind lifted up Zhou Yu's cape dramatically, and his eyes darkened. "Yes it does."

"_**CUT!**_"

Lu Su stood up like a shot from behind the camera.

"There's a cut after this scene so no marking. Good work- thank you everyone! We are good for this part."

Sun Ce's face broke into a smile. With a whoop, he dropped Da Qiao, who fell to the ground with a surprised cry, and raced over to the imitation-rock foam stage. He nimbly scrambled up the stepladder behind the largest one and threw himself onto Zhou Yu, leaving a sloppy kiss on the shorter man's mouth. "_Muah_! จุบ! Hehehe, and it only took about eight tries! That must be a record!"

"Sun Ce, we're not done yet and you just smeared my fake eyebrows!" Zhou Yu exclaimed, plucking off the hairy extensions and trying to stick them back on.

"After we get drinks with the others like usual, I'm taking the two of us to this great gelato place I found," Sun Ce whispered into Zhou Yu's ear.

"Won't we be tired?" Zhou Yu asked drily. But despite his tone, he leaned into closer and kissed Sun Ce's earlobe softly. Sun Ce's offers of little things here and there, no matter how many times or of what (except for the suggestion that they go sneak off and eat scorpions that one time they were filming that Bangkok chase scene for _Top Stealth_), breathed fresh air into his lungs. With their lives blended so intimately with their careers during hectic film schedules, little bubbles of time away from everything and just with Sun Ce, without having to please or plead anyone, were treasures in his heart. It seemed that even their snacks contained little balancing deals with so-and-so union or so-and-so company. And dinners- if it wasn't a dinner with the other actors Lu Meng was sure to have sent a potential investor.

Sun Ce never told anyone besides Zhou Yu where or when they were running off. Plus, if they were drinking with the others beforehand, it would provide a good escape from any watchers once Ling Tong inevitably started stripping.

"They have non-dairy, nonfat, low-sugar in case your stomach's acting up again. I tried it just for you last time I was there. Delicious," Sun Ce breathed, blowing the little hairs on Zhou Yu's sideburns with his warm breath.

"Wait until Ling Tong gets drunk and we'll make a run for it," Zhou Yu whispered back.

* * *

Da Qiao picked herself up from the ground.

Thank God they filmed the love scene between Xiaohua the Imperial Princess and Sun Ce's cowboy of a character months ago, _before_ Sun Ce had kissed Zhou Yu in the bar and Zhou Yu had kissed him back and Gan Ning had pat him on the back and called him a real man and somehow photos got out…

Huang Gai, in between yelling at his assistants caring for the exotic animals on set and playing the barbarian beast-shaman, had quietly told her that it was the best he had ever seen from her. Every bit was so real, he had said, everything was just so believable.

Da Qiao's style relied on, if cooking terms could be used, a reduction of sorts, where all the frippery and extraneous pieces of drama, everything besides the bare gestures and voice, were boiled away. In contrast to her energetic sister, her quiet restraint and solid sincerity were her staples in acting. She depended on small movements and subtle gestures, where Xiao Qiao played on exaggeration and large, brisk actions.

But all the same, Da Qiao knew that it wouldn't have mattered on her style to convey the love scene, where the princess and the foreign cowboy declared their love… She felt it. She had felt it. Every bit of it.

And she had meant every word of the script.

Even the poetic flowery bits about 'loving you as far as the stars can sail through the sky' and all that.

What was her secret to that particular performance?

The princess truly was in love with a mercenary who she could truly share her life with.

But the mercenary was just letters on a script and their romance and love were either just a collection of typos that Lu Xun missed when copyediting or made for only one heart-

"Sis, I don't know how you do it!" Xiao Qiao exclaimed, skipping over in half her costume.

"What?" Da Qiao asked, her eyebrows furrowing. She pushed herself off the ground with her elbows and looked at her younger sister.

Even in unfinished makeup with only the white foundation on, nothing could disguise Xiao Qiao's distinctive smile. "Staying so still and dead like that- no wonder they always make your character die!"

"What?"

"I said," Xiao Qiao repeated, pouting, "It was cool how you played a dead body so well?"

"Meimei, do you have your tissues one you?"

"Yeah!" Xiao Qiao eagerly stuffed a box of her tissues into Da Qiao's hands.

Da Qiao sighed in relief. She took a few, wound them into tight ropes, and started to push them into her ears.

Xiao Qiao stared. "What are you doing?"

"Do you know how much Sun Ce spits when he's yelling? So, what did you say at first, meimei?" Da Qiao asked plainly. "And is the shower free?"

"I was just saying you play a dead body real good," Xiao Qiao said for the third or fourth time.

"Thank you. I would hug you but I have saliva all over my face."

" 's kay, plenty of time for hugs later!" Xiao Qiao grinned happily. "We're going out for snacks later, after filming, when the sunlight isn't good anymore! I told everyone we're coming-"

"Meimei, I'm sorry, but I don't feel up to it," Da Qiao interrupted quietly.

Xiao Qiao stomped her little foot. "You'll never feel up to it if you keep sulking around like a banshee," she said matter-of-factly. "How's staying at home by yourself and watching reruns of old movies supposed to make you feel better?"

"I'm sorry."

Xiao Qiao rolled her eyes. "Okay, I get it that you're upset because this is basically an unofficial breakup. Well I was sad too. But guess what, the ocean's huge!" Xiao Qiao exclaimed, stretching her arms wide. "What, you don't feel like fishing?"

"I'm sorry, I just don't-"

"The head composer's brought his two nephews. They're twins, they're only a year younger than you, and they're _hot_ like Mexico! If you can't see that you're probably blind as an old woman!"

"I'm sorry."

"What do you think that this is going to do? Guilt-trip Sun Ce? That guy can't be guilt tripped by his own grandma threatening suicide probably!"

"I'm not trying to do anything-"

"Well I get that you need time to recover. But you're not recovering! You're just getting deeper and deeper-"

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't say you're sorry! Just come out with us! What do you think, like you're going to suddenly- why don't you come out with us instead of sitting around all night like an old widow? No one likes it when you're moping! You're just being selfish!"

"I'm sorry."

"You're coming with us whether you _like it or not!_" Xiao Qiao spun on her heel, her hair whipping around with her. "See you _later!_"

Da Qiao waited for her to go before sighing.

Xiao Qiao… She recovered so quickly. It wasn't that she never liked Zhou Yu, but perhaps she didn't understand the feeling of adults, Da Qiao thought to herself. Maybe her sister just wasn't mature enough to get it…

The thoughts ran around, cycling through her head as she walked away.

* * *

BLARGGGGGGwritten in one go. This was an offshoot of Auction but the idea of like first a dramatic Sun Ce x Da Qiao scene but all of a sudden we realize it's just filming a movie in the AU thing, and that he still loves Zhou Yu.

And for the random Thai word, I couldn't find an English sound effect with the same effect. Seriously. Imagine if I had spelled it out: "Juuuuuuuuub!" What can of kiss does that sound like?

No one would think I'd ever write a SCxDQ story, right? I'd sooner slash my wrists, eat meat, and be married to a pig than do so.


End file.
